Product and method of manufacture



Aug. 28, 1962 P. AvANcHY 3,051,588

PRODUCT AND METHOD oF MANUFACTURE Filed April 1o, 1959 INVENTOR fre/:M AMA/awr ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,951,588 PRODUCT AND P/ETHD F MANUFACTURE Patricia Lavanchy, Wayne, Pa., assigner to lohnson d; Johnson, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Apr. 10, 1959, Ser. No. 805,356 6 Claims. (Cl. 117-685) This invention relates to the art of release coatings, and more particularly to a release coating containing a N-alkyl polyacrylamide and pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes having such release coatings.

The term backing as used herein, means any suitable material for supporting the pressure-sensitive adhesive.

The term pressure-sensitive adhesive, as used herein, means an elastomeric material, such as a natural or synthetic rubber, with or without a resinous component, which provides a normally aggressively tacky pressuresensitive adhesive which can be applied with light nger pressure in the absence of heat and solvent.

The term release coating, as used herein, means a thin coating applied to the opposite side of the backing material from the side which carries the pressure-sensitive adhesive, or to a liner, to permit easy unwinding after being rolled or stacked with the release material in contact with the pressure-sensitive adhesive of a superimposed layer of tape or a label.

Pressure-sensitive tapes are usualiy wound in rolls, thus bringing the backing in one layer into contact with the pressure-sensitive adhesive coating on the layer thereabove. This has a tendency to cause the upper layer to adhere to the next lower layer, making it diicult to unwind the tape because of the aggressively tacky character f the pressure-sensitive adhesive.

Release coatings are therefore usually applied to the backing of pressure-sensitive tapes in order to permit easy unwinding of the tape, without detackifying the pressure-sensitive adhesive coating or Splitting the release coating.

Numerous attempts have been made to overcome these disadvantages, but many prior release coatings have been objectionable for various reasons. One very important reason is that after aging, especially at elevated temperatures, many release coatings lose their release properties. In other words, the release feature is fugitive. Examples of such release agents are parain wax coatings or emulsions.

Another objectionable feature in some prior art release coatings is that they lose their adhesiveness to the backing material and become detached therefrom, becoming attached to the pressure-sensitive side of the tape, and thereby lessening its adhesive characteristics.

A further objection to some prior release coatings is inadequate heat stability and solvent resistance.

l have discovered that these and other disadvantages of prior art release coatings can be overcome, and a release coating obtained which will not lose its release properties on aging, by applying a thin coating of an alkyl polyacrylamide lm former, such as N-stearylpolyacrylamide or related materials, to the opposite side of the backing of pressure-sensitive tapes from the side which carries the pressure-sensitive adhesive.

lt is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new and useful class of release coatings.

lt is another object to provide pressure-sensitive tapes containing a normally aggressively tacky pressure-sensitive adhesive on one side, with a thin release coating on the opposite side, which will permit easy unwinding of the tape and not detackify the pressure-sensitive adhesive, nor be oifset from the backing to the pressure-sensitive adhesive inmediately thereabove.

It is a further object to provide a method of making pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes which maintain effective 3,05l,538 Patented Aug. 28, 1962 release characteristics on aging for long periods of time, even though subjected to elevated temperatures.

With the above and other objects in View, which will Kbe apparent as the description proceeds, I have set forth my invention in the following specification and have illustrated certain embodiments thereof in the following examples, but it Will be understood that this disclosure is merely for the purpose of illustrating practical embodiments of the invention, and the latter is not to be limited thereto.

Example 1 Thirty pound creped kraft saturating paper was impregnated with an equal weight of a latex mixture of 73 parts of Buna N (65 butadiene-35 -acrylonitrile), 25 parts of GRS (50 butadiene-50 styrene), and 2 parts of a water soluble phenol formaldehyde resin. The paper was coated with about 0.2 ounce per square yard (dry weight) of a nitrocellulose coating solution. Over samples of the nitrocellulose coated paper were knifed 1% and 2% solutions, respectively, of the N-stearyl polyacrylamide release agent in a solvent mixture of toluene and 2O methyl ethyl ketone. The backing was coated with 2.25 ounces per square yard of a typical crude rubber pressure-sensitive adhesive. The adhesion and the release from backing were measured on samples aged l month at 120 F., which represents a much longer aging period at room temperature. Adhesion was measured by the method described in ASTM D-lOO. The release from backing was determined by measuring the force necessary to remove the tape from the roll at a speed of 150 feet per minute. All measurements were made on 1 inch Wide tapes.

Adhesion to steel and release hom backing results were as follows:

The alkyl polyacrylamide used in this and the other examples was prepared by reacting polyacrylic acid (CHaCHZCOOH)x and the corresponding alkyl amine (eg. C18H37NH2) in equimolecular proportions, using an aromatic solvent, such as xylene. The water evolved in the reaction is removed by azeotropic distillation during the reaction. The equation is as follows:

Polyacrylic acid and C18H37NH2 stearyl polyacrylamide and water H -CH2-CH- H H GHz-CH- H Xyleue -j-RNHnV--Ze I=0 +1520 I NHR x H x To 855 grams of stearyl amine (Armeen 18, Armour Chemical Co.) in 350 milliliters of xylene was added 845 grams of 27% polyacrylic acid in water (Acrysol A-l,' Rohm & Haas Co.), equivalent to 228 grams of polyacrylic acid. The polyacrylic acid precipitated. The mixture was heated under reflux with stirring, addingv more xylene as the reaction progressed until a total of 1520 milliliters was added. Foaming 'was controlled by raising the stirrer until it was at the liquid-foam interface. The solution became quite viscous as the reaction proceeded.

After hours of refluxing about half the polyacrylic Theoretical Analysis of product Found for N -stearyl polyacrylamide Exam'ple 2 A 10% solution of N-stearyl polyacrylamide in toluene was coated by means of a coating knife on a cellophane tape backing, after which the sheet was passed through -a drying oven to remove the solvent. The backing was coated with 1.0 ounce per square yard of a typical crude rubber pressure-sensitive adhesive.

Release values of this tape, as measured at 150 -ft./ minute unwind speed, -were as follows:

. Ounces Release after aging 24 hours at room temperature 46 Release after aging 24 hours at 120 F 40 Release after aging 24 hours at 150 F 46 Thus good release was maintained despite subjection of the tape to high temperatures [for 24 hours.

The samples all exhibited excellent pressure-sensitive tack.

Example 3 Parts by weight Pale crepe 35.0 GRS (7l butadiene 29 styrene) (60 Mooney) 6.5 Aluminum hydrate filler 21.0 Polyterpene rin, M.P. 115 C 36.5 Santovar A antioxidant (2,5-ditertiary amyl hydroquinone) 1.0

This tap unwound easily.

Example 4 A tape with good release properties can be made by knife-coating a 2% solution of the N-stearyl polyacrylamide on a 1.5 mil cellophane ilm. The opposite face of the tape can be coated with a primer as disclosed in Billings 2,340,298. This will serve as a very satisfactory backing for a pressure-sensitive tape with easy unwind characteristics.

Example 5 A 1 mil polyethylene terephthalate backing can be knife-coated with a 3% solution of N-stcaryl polyacrylamide, and coated on the opposite surface with a priming coat as disclosed in Bemmels Patent No. 2,647,843. When this backing is coated with a suitable electrical grade of pressure-sensitive adhesive, an electrical tape is provided with easy unwind characteristics.

Example 6 A satisfactory masking tape havingeasy unwind characteristics can be made by coating the latex impregnated kraft `saturating paper described in Example l 'with 0.3 ounce per square yard of a polyamide backsize and overcoating by knife with a 1.5% solution toluene and 20 methyl ethyl ketone) of myristyl polyacrylamide The opposite side of the tape was coatedv with a nor mal pressure-sensitive adhesive based on a reclaimed rubber composition.

Example 7 A satisfactory film tape can be made by knife coating a l mil nylon iilm with a 10% solution in toluene of carnawbyl polyacrylamide The opposite side of the tape was coated with l ounce per square yard of a normal rubber base pressure-sensisive adhesive.

This tape has easy unwind characteristics.

The N-stearyl polyacrylamide used in Examples l-5 was made by reacting equimolecular proportions of polyacrylic acid and stearyl amine in xylene, as discussed under Example 1, with the elimination of water. The polyacrylamides used in Examples 6 and 7 can be made in a similar way.

The N-alkyl polyacrylamide can also be made in other ways, as by reacting:

(a) A polyacrylamide and an alkyl amine to give the N-alkyl polyacrylamide and ammonia:

Polyacrylamide and C18H37NH2 Y stearyl polyacrylamide and ammonia H -OHz-CH* H A H -CHr-CH- H l al RN... 1 l no] NH,

| Xylene NH2 x NHR (b) A polyacryloyl chloride and an alkyl amine to give the N-alkyl polyacrylamide and hydrochloric acid:

Polyacryloyl chloride and C18H37NH2 Stearyl polyacrylamide and hydrochloric acid general formula H CH2-CH- H t el im in which Ris hydrogen or an alkyl group, and at least 50% of the Rs are a straight chain aliphatic hydrocarbon group of C13-C24, and where x is greater than 100, and preferably greater than 500.

The polyacrylamide coatings of this invention are applied from dilute solution by any of the standard coating techniques, as by knife-coating, roller coating, or calendering, vafter which the sheet yis passed through a drying oven to remove solvent. 'Ihe degree of fatty amide substitution on the chain should range from 5 0100%.

In addition to containing the polyacrylamide, the release coatings can also contain copolymers with acrylic acid, such as acrylonitrile, acrylates, styrene, butadiene, etc., which contain a major proportionof the acrylic acid.

The backing to which my improved release agents are applied may be a kraft or rope saturating paper that has been impregnated with a latex mixture and then coated with a customary backsize solution (eg. nitrocellulose), as in Example 1, or cellophane as in Example 2, or a polyethylene terephthalate as in Example 5, or it may be any of the conventional film forming backing materials used in the art, such as cellulose acetate, vinyl chloride or ethyl cellulose, or a paper or cloth which is coated with an alkyd resin, vinyl chloride, nitrocellulose, or other normal plastic coating.

The thickness of the release coating may vary but is very thin, examples of suitable coating weights being as follOWS:

Ounces per square yard solution on cellophane 0.01 1% solution on crepe paper 0.01 2% solution on crepe paper 0.02

Parts Pale crepe rubber 100 Zinc oxide 85 Polyterpene resin (M.P. 115 C.) 41 Polyterpene resin (M P. 70 C.) 41 2,5-ditertiary amyl hydroquinone 2 Lanolin 10 Lecithin 1 A typical normally tacky and pressure-sensitive electrical grade adhesive is as follows:

Parts Pale crepe rubber 50 GRS 1022 (7l/29 butadiene styrene copolymer) 50 Zinc oxide 85 Polyterpene resin (MP. 115 C.) 30 Glycerol ester of hydrogenated rosin 40 Zinc resinate 10 Octylphenol formaldehyde resin 10 2,5-ditertiary amyl hydroquinone 2 It will therefore be apparent that the release coatings of this invention anchor well to base materials, and particularly to nitrocellulose-coated paper, cellophane or ethylene terephthalate films. After aging, even at 120 F. for one month, they still preserve the easy release properties they possess immediately after coating. Furthermore, they do not impair the tackiness of the pressure-sensitive adhesive coating.

It is believed these excellent results are due to the use of an alkyl polyacrylamide coating which is a polymeric material with very limited solubility in the adhesive, which therefore has no tendency to cause detackiiication or give fugitive release properties as monomeric materials or parain waxes have been found to do.

The release agents and coated tapes of this invention are characterized by having good release characteristics, not only immediately after coating, but after ageing for a month at 120 F., which corresponds to a much longer aging period at room temperature. They do not cause detackication or impairment of the pressure-sensitive adhesives with which they come in contact, and the base material and pressure-sensitive adhesive may be any of the materials now in general use for pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes.

A further advantage of the release agents of this invention is that they may be compounded with aldehyde resins,

5 such as phenOLfOrmaldehyde, ureaformaldehyde, or melamine-formaldehyde, to give a cured release backsize with further improved solvent and heat resistance and bonding to the base coat.

In the accompanying drawing the FIGURE is a fragmental perspective view of a tape embodying the present invention. In this figure 11 is a backing, 12 is a pressuresensitive adhesive applied to one side of the backing, and 13 is an alkyl polyacrylamide film-former which is appled to the opposite side of the backing 11 and in which the alkyl group has a C13-C24 straight chain radical.

Although I have hereinbefore referred to pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes, it will be understood that this invention is not limited to tapes, but may be applied to labels or any materials having a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive in contact with the release side of an interliner, or my release coatings may be applied to both sides of a liner adapted to be inserted between adjacent layers of pressuresensitive adhesive tape or other material that has been coated with adhesive on -both sides.

It is apparent that many widely different embodiments of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof; and, therefore, it is not intended to be limited except as indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A pressure-sensitive adhesive tape comprising a backing selected from the group consisting of paper, cloth and film materials, a coating of pressure-sensitive adhesive on one major side of said backing, and, on the opposite side of said backing, a release coating consisting essentially of an alkyl polyacrylamide film former which contains the following recurring formula:

H -CHz-CH- IiIHR x Where R is a member of the group consisting of hydrogen andan alkyl group, and at least 50% of the Rs are straight chain alkyl groups of C13-C24, and where x is greater than 100.

2. The pressure-sensitive adhesive tape of claim 1, Where R iS C18H37.

3. The pressure-sensitive adhesive tape of claim 2, where x is greater than 500.

4. The method of making a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape having good release characteristics when rolled upon itself, which comprises (a) coating one side of a backing selected from the group consisting of paper, cloth and lm materials with a pressure-sensitive adhesive, (b) coating the other side with a release coating consisting essentially of an alkyl polyacrylamide lm former which contains the following recurring formula:

where R is -a member of the group consisting of hydrogen and an alkyl group, and at least 5 0% of the Rs are straight chain alkyl groups of C13-C24, and where x is greater than 100, and (c) drying the release coating.

5. The method of yclaim 4, in which the release coating is applied from a solution containing not over 2% of the release agent in an organic solvent.

6. The method of claim 5, in which the organic solvent is toluene.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,387,501 Dietrich Oct. 23, 1945 2,734,503 Doyle Feb. 14, 1956 2,799,596 Frantz July 16, 1957 2,803,607 Stroh et al Aug. 20, 1957 2,914,167 Holtz NOV. 24, 1959 

1. A PRESSURE-SENSITIVE ADHESIVE TAPE COMPRISING A BACKING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PAPER, CLOTH AND FILM MATERIALS, A COATING OF PRESSURE-SENSITIVE ADHESIVE ON ONE MAJOR SIDE OF SAID BACKING, AND, ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID BACKING, A RELEASE COATING CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF AN ALKYL POLYACRYLAMIDE FILM FORMER WHICH CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING RECURRING FORMULA: 